[Dixielandjazz] Evolution Mama

[Keith Garner]

In response to my enquiry about the meaning of "knock that peanut whistle 
right off your stand"


Dave Richoux wrote

"Knock your peanut whistle right off your stand" is a
> > metaphor for emasculation. With no whistle, the peanut stand
> > cannot attract attention.


Steve Barbone quoted

"African-American voices were not silent on the subject of evolution
either. They
responded with songs like "Evolution Mama," written and performed by
Eddie Heywood
and "Doc" Basher, that fell into an early jazz/blues genre. It too
played on the theme that
"you can't make a monkey of me," though in this case the protest was
clearly against
female romantic control. The voice here is distinctively African
American, since peanut
vendors in America were usually African American"


My thanks to Dave and Steve for the contributions. I think we are partly 
back in the realm of the US & the UK being divided by a common language.  I 
hadn't thought of a "peanut stand" as a unit where peanuts are sold - to me 
that would be a "peanut stall".  The most obvious meaning to me of stand 
would be as in guitar stand - the thing that I stand my guitar on while I 
play banjo - I couldn't imagine what a peanut whistle was and why anyone 
should want to use a stand to hold it in place.

Note for Marek Boym - Judy Eames added that she and Tony Davis were also at 
the Oxfam Stomp, I'm sure from our previous correspondence that you would 
like to know that George Huxley was there as well.

Regards
Keith Garner
www.jazzpzazz.co.uk